Detection rules › Splunk

Access LSASS Memory for Dump Creation

Author
Patrick Bareiss, Splunk
Source
upstream

The following analytic detects attempts to dump the LSASS process memory, a common technique in credential dumping attacks. It leverages Sysmon logs, specifically EventCode 10, to identify suspicious call traces to dbgcore.dll and dbghelp.dll associated with lsass.exe. This activity is significant as it often precedes the theft of sensitive login credentials, posing a high risk of unauthorized access to systems and data. If confirmed malicious, attackers could gain access to critical credentials, enabling further compromise and lateral movement within the network.

MITRE ATT&CK coverage

TacticTechniques
Credential AccessT1003.001 OS Credential Dumping: LSASS Memory

Event coverage

ProviderEvent IDTitle
Sysmon10ProcessAccess

Stages and Predicates

Stage 1: search

search (CallTrace="*dbgcore.dll*" OR CallTrace="*dbghelp.dll*") EventCode=10 TargetImage="*lsass.exe"

Stage 2: stats

stats BY CallTrace, EventID, GrantedAccess, Guid, Opcode, ProcessID, SecurityID, SourceImage, SourceProcessGUID, SourceProcessId, TargetImage, TargetProcessGUID, TargetProcessId, UserID, dest, granted_access, parent_process_exec, parent_process_guid, parent_process_id, parent_process_name, parent_process_path, process_exec, process_guid, process_id, process_name, process_path, signature, signature_id, user_id, vendor_product

Stage 3: search

search

Stage 4: search

search

Stage 5: search

search `macro`

Indicators

Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.

FieldKindValues
CallTraceeq
  • *dbgcore.dll*
  • *dbghelp.dll*
EventCodeeq
  • 10 corpus 14 (splunk 14)
TargetImageeq
  • *lsass.exe corpus 6 (splunk 6)

Neighbors

Broader alternatives (more inclusive than this rule)

These rules match a superset of what this rule catches. They cover the same events plus more. Use them if you want wider coverage and can absorb more false positives.